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Part Wild: One Woman's Journey With A Creature Caught Between The Worlds Of Wolves And Dogs (2011)

by Ceiridwen Terrill(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1451634811 (ISBN13: 9781451634815)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Scribner

review 1: This is a sad, heartbreaking, and somewhat infuriating book, and a story that is being repeated over and over because people don't pay attention to what this author learned. She tried to adopt a wolf-dog, and she failed. The story of the attempt and failure is full of lessons about why wild animals should not be treated as pets. My feeling reading this was that humans get a lot out of our relationships with animals, but the relationships are almost never reciprocal. In order to enjoy the experience of something wild, we lock it up in a cage, confine it, and try to train it to do what we want. I appreciate that the author recorded her experiences and wrote them up for people to read. I hope that many people read them, so that fewer people have to go through what she, and th... moree wolf-dog, ultimately suffered.
review 2: A powerful and tragic story that is as much about Terrill as the high-content wolf-dog Inyo that she raised form a cub. Inyo is 85% wolf which was guaranteed to make her more difficult as a companion than a lesser mix. Terrill, however, had a compelling need to have a wolf, in part due to her confessed craziness (OCD), and other personality flaws which led to her living with an abuser for years, unable to find the grit to leave—when she finally does so, she flees to another state, leaving a flock of restraining orders in her wake. Then she links up with Ryan, a classic loser who suffers from depression, won’t take his meds, spends money (hers) irresponsibly, is pursued by creditors for unpaid student loans and IRS debts, and devotes himself to video games involving warlocks. But Terrill is entranced because he is a rock climber and he is willing to join her in wilderness treks and adventures. The acquisition of Inyo would put pressure on even a good relationship (she Marries Ryan for gods sake) and her position as a grad student means they can afford only rentals where Inyo’s frequent escapes and howling result in evictions. Terrill does her best to contain Inyo whose destructive escapades are legendary, but even an experienced wolf-dog owner would find Inyo a challenge. Ultimately, Terrill completes her doctorate and becomes an assistant professor of environmental journalism and her book is a caution to anyone contemplating the romantic notion of taming a wild thing. less

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